Entrepreneurship in the Life Sciences: Case Study Analysis of Minnesota, North Carolina and Kansas

Abstract

The life sciences industry is a source of innovations in health, agriculture, and industrial technology. New life sciences businesses create high paying jobs, contribute to local economies, and develop innovations that can benefit society. The life sciences industry encompasses multiple, research-intensive industries. Due to the research-intensive aspects of the life sciences businesses, creating a new life science business is a difficult process. State governments interested in facilitating growth of their life science industry have developed strategies to make starting a life science business easier. Previous research has identified multiple factors that are required to start a research-intensive business. This research will apply those factors in a case-study analysis of Minnesota, North Carolina and Kansas, three states with life sciences industries at various stages of development. The research will explore specific state-level policies in each of these states aimed at facilitating entrepreneurship in the life science industry, highlighting the policy development process and measureable outcomes.